BIG POINT WOODS, Mich. (WXYZ) – Woods Wholesale Wine at Grosse Pointe Woods is closed for business after sending the beer to a state address.
The second-generation owner, William Matouk, said an employee misplaced the order. They believe that this was part of a sting operation by the Liquor Control Commission.
Matouk called the punishment unjust and flagrant.
“We just don’t know why we’re going down so hard for a minor violation,” Matouk said. “We made a mistake when one of the employees sent it. We would not jeopardize our operations for three bottles of beer.”
He said the sentence forced them to shut down for seven days or appeal, and if they lost the appeal, they would end their alcohol license. They decided to close on Monday.
It’s against Michigan law to ship beer to a state residence. The store has a retail location and an online operation that is delivered to homes around the world.
“There is a license that covers beer and wine because of the lobby and other things that have happened in the past, you can deliver wine,” Matouk’s lawyer Brian O’Keefe said. “But you can’t ship beer. That’s a trap.”
In 2015, Woods Wholesale Wine was shut down for illegal transportation of alcohol.
7 Action News contacted the Michigan Beverage Control Commission and declined to comment.